“Business Case Study Video,” which showcases one of Brooklyn’s fastest growing companies with a multi-million dollar valuation, and “Intro” were created in support of Dr. Alex Citanna’s popular Managerial Economics course and are designed to spark discussion among students.

“In online education, there is a greater distance between the teacher and the student,” explained Dr. Akiva Covitz, executive director for strategy at YU Global. “How do you minimize that gap as much as possible? You do that with a narrative storytelling arc. Almost everything we do when building a class is around that arc. The best teachers in online classes give students the sense that they’re in a story.”

“Video is really a learning tool for students and particularly for online students,” said filmmaker Abby Russell, executive producer and creative director of YU Global. “They don’t necessarily get to see the inside of a classroom but they can get a better sense for their professor and the subject matter in real world situations.”

Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards showcase outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and web commercials, videos and films. There were more than 13,000 entries from across the United States and 5 continents for the competition. Award-winning industry professionals judge the entries and award statuettes based on cinematic excellence and outstanding achievement.

“Documentary-style and story-driven videos produced for online learning modules are very cutting edge, very new,” said Russell. “It’s something universities are just starting to do. Yeshiva University is really innovating here by creating these videos and short films to enhance the way students learn.”